Latest news with #GraftonStreet
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
City of Charlottetown shares plan to make Grafton Street safer and more efficient
Social Sharing Charlottetown residents are getting a first look at the city's plan to make Grafton Street safer and more efficient, which is in line with its 10-year active transportation plan. The city held an open house on Wednesday to present concept designs for the Grafton Street Master Plan. This key corridor connecting the Hillsborough Bridge to the downtown core will see improvements focused on the stretch between Edward Street and West Street. Richard MacEwen, director of community services for the city, said the plan was designed to make the street safer for everyone — pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike. "Safety is the number one priority when we're looking at these projects," MacEwen told CBC News. "We want to improve the safety access throughout the city. We want people to feel comfortable, on their bikes, when they're walking." Residents can provide feedback on the city's website. The city is gathering community and stakeholder feedback before finalizing the plan, which will then be presented to city council for approval. Improving traffic flow, accessibility At the open house, residents were shown several concept designs, including proposals to improve safety and traffic flow at places like the intersection of Pownal Street and Edward Street. The city says vehicle volumes at these spots suggest traffic signals are warranted. The plan also recommends accessibility improvements. These include pedestrian ramps and curb extensions, which reduce crossing distances and make it easier for drivers to see pedestrians, and vice versa. Currently, many intersections along Grafton Street lack things like textured ground surfaces that help visually impaired people navigate safely. In cases where tactile warning surface indicators do exist, they often aren't configured in a standardized way, the plan notes. Transit changes Changes to the bus stops by the Confederation Centre could also be coming. Two options are under consideration. One is to introduce three parallel bus layby stops on the eastbound side and one on the westbound side of Grafton Street. The other is to build three angled layby stops eastbound and one parallel stop westbound. Both options include formalized pedestrian landing pads for passengers to board and exit. These changes would affect more than a dozen parking spaces across the street from the Holman Grand Hotel and Confederation Court Mall, though. "Again, it's thinking about public safety, and where it's easy for people to get on and off a bus safely," MacEwen said. Charlottetown resident David Daughton said he supports these proposals. "That has some merit, in terms of not having people behind buses with flashing lights on like we have now. And half the people know they're allowed to pass a slow-moving vehicle. The other people are sitting there waiting because they don't know what's going on," Daughton said. "You can't have buses blocking the road all the time, every time they want to pick up people." Still, Daughton raised a concern about the visibility of pedestrian crossings along Grafton Street due to faded road paint. "If you and I go down to… downtown now, at least 50 per cent of the crossings will be invisible because there is no white stripe left on the crossing, which is dangerous," he said. Daughton added that other countries have found solutions for permanent, year-round crossing markers, and he hopes Charlottetown can do the same.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Paul Sheeran seeking €5.5m for jewel in company's crown just off Grafton Street
Having already overseen the opening at the Chatham & King development of a swath of luxury watch boutiques offering brands that include Cartier, Breitling, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai, Paul Sheeran Jewellers is set to relocate its fine jewellery and diamond business from its original home just off Grafton Street to a larger premises near Chatham Street. Number 7-8 Johnson's Court is being offered to the market by joint agents Colliers and JLL at a guide price of €5.5 million. The property is alternatively available to let at an annual rent of €275,000. Commenting on his decision to relocate after 31 years, Mr Sheeran said: 'Johnson's Court provided us with a wonderful home for many years, but the business has evolved now and with that has come the opportunity to elevate and expand even more as we relocate our fine jewellery and diamond business to be closer to our luxury watch emporium on Chatham Street.' Located on the pedestrianised thoroughfare linking Grafton Street with Clarendon Street, 7-8 Johnson's Court comprises 4,500sq ft of space distributed across three floors over basement level. While the property would suit an established retail brand looking to take advantage of its close proximity to Grafton Street, the selling agents say it could also accommodate alternative uses such as a restaurant, entertainment venue, or a licensed premises, subject to planning permission. To facilitate that potential, a planning application is now being submitted seeking approval for a change of use to an entertainment/food and beverage venue. [ Prime retail units on St Stephen's Green seeking occupiers Opens in new window ] Niall Delmar of Colliers says: 'It's uncommon for a vacant building so close to Grafton Street to come to the market, especially with both freehold and leasehold options available. This is a valuable opportunity for retailers, food and beverage operators, developers and investors.' READ MORE Nicola Vance of JLL adds: 'This prime location offers an excellent opportunity for astute investors or occupiers seeking an exclusive address capitalising on the high footfall from Grafton Street, Dublin's premier shopping district.'
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
U-turn on Grafton Street toilets as council reverses ‘ludicrous' closure plan
Dublin City Council has reversed plans to remove the city centre's last public toilets following opposition from all city councillors, who described the move as 'ludicrous' and 'abhorrent'. The council had planned to shut down the toilets installed five years ago at the top of Grafton Street , citing reduced demand. It had been spending almost €400,000 a year to operate the toilets, put at the St Stephen's Green end of Grafton Street during the Covid-19 pandemic. The current owner and operator of the toilets was going out of business and the council said it would draw up proposals for replacement toilets, but these were not expected to be in place until summer of 2026. Green Party councillor Claire Byrne, at a council meeting on Monday, said the 'ongoing failure of this city to provide basic services to meet a basic human right' was 'abhorrent'. The council had had five years to procure alternative toilets, she said, but had also been discussing the issue since before she was elected in 2014. READ MORE 'Very little, next to nothing, has been done, yet we were happy spending €400,000 a year for this unit and not looking for a long-term solution.' There was, she said, a 'very clear demand, every single person needs to pee'. Her Green Party colleague Hazel Chu said that when she was lord mayor she let people use the toilet in the Mansion House. The council should open up public buildings with toilets for the public to use, she said. Social Democrats councillor Catherine Stocker said it was 'ludicrous and exhausting this most basic and simple of things cannot be sorted by Dublin City Council'. Independent councillor Mannix Flynn pointed out that public toilets had been part of the original contract with advertising company JC Decaux for the Dublinbikes scheme, 'but somewhere along the line an official in this council took that stipulation out of the contract'. Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said it was a 'fundamental responsibility of a city or county council to provide toilets'. He noted that toilets had been included in countless council budgets but not implemented due to insufficient funds. 'Nearly €2 million has been spent on this one toilet,' he said. 'People are laughing at Dublin city over this.' [ Dublin city centre's only public toilets to be closed Opens in new window ] Derek Kelly, director of service with the council, told councillors officials had 'worked out a solution' over the weekend to keep the Grafton Street facility open 'while in tandem we try to develop and finalise an ongoing solution for toilets within the city centre'. The current operator 'is liquidating, that has pushed the situation, they want to cease the service', he said. However, the council would see if it could persuade the company to continue until replacement toilets were in place next year, and if not, would buy the toilets and appoint a new operator, Mr Kelly said. The council had initially opened toilets at two locations in 2020, the second at Wolfe Tone Square on the city's northside. The northside toilets were subsequently relocated to Ryder's Row off Capel Street but were decommissioned in 2022, with the council citing 'complaints of antisocial behaviour in the area and low usage'.
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Dublin city centre's only public toilets to be closed
Dublin city centre's only public toilets, installed at the top of Grafton Street five years ago, are to be shut. Reduced demand for the toilets has been cited by Dublin City Council in its decision to remove the facility. The council has been spending almost €400,000 a year to operate the toilets, installed at the St Stephen's Green end of Grafton Street during the Covid-19 pandemic. It had initially opened toilets at two locations in 2020, the second at Wolfe Tone Square on the city's northside. READ MORE The northside toilets were subsequently relocated to Ryders Row off Capel Street but were decommissioned in 2022, with the council citing 'complaints of antisocial behaviour in the area and low usage'. The local authority has now decided to remove the remaining facility on Grafton Street. 'The installation of the unit was initially a short-term arrangement, and a temporary operating model was entered into with a service provider to provide all operational and security functions,' a report to be presented to councillors next Monday states. 'Usage has dropped significantly to 1,500 users per week from its peak in 2021, and the current operator for this unit is ceasing trading. For these reasons Dublin City Council intend to remove this temporary public toilet at the top of Grafton Street shortly.' Two years ago the council sought expressions of interest for the provision of permanent toilets in the city centre. It has since been in discussions with two providers, the report states. 'One of the service providers who specialise in automated units strongly advised against placing an unmanned/automated public toilet unit in the city centre, due to the significant risk associated with antisocial activity.' The council's waste management division has since been exploring 'other service provision models', it said, but a 'decision on the preferred operating model has yet' to be made. The council said it would continue to try to identify two locations in the city centre for 'potential' toilets once a correct operating model was identified, with the current Grafton Street location and a site on Prince's Street, to the side of the GPO, under assessment. A public toilet was also included in the design brief for the new College Green plaza. Architects Scott Tallon Walker were last June appointed to design the College Green scheme. The waste management division intends to bring new proposals for the provision of toilets in the city to councillors by the end of September. In the 1970s there were more than 60 staffed public toilets in Dublin, but by the 1990s the number had been reduced to nine. By the end of that decade all had been closed due to issues including drug abuse and vandalism.
